Judith showed up at two that afternoon, her tires crunching over the gravel driveway before the doorbell even rang.

She marched straight into the dining room holding two tall crystal vases of white gardenias.

A cold draft blew across the mahogany dining table, making the sheer curtains flutter against the windowpanes.

Judith put the vases down and tapped her manicured nails on the shiny mahogany surface.

“These centerpieces are four inches too tall,” she said, looking past me at the sideboard.

“The guests on the other side of the table will have to lean over to see Cole.”